


AccountabiliBuddies

by CD_Radio



Category: A Nightmare on Elm Street - All Media Types, Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Friday the 13th Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Bullying, Child Neglect, Drowning, Friendship Bracelets, Gen, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pudding, Tiny Toad Tim is their son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24877285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CD_Radio/pseuds/CD_Radio
Summary: Fredrick Charles Krueger, twelve years old, goes to camp because his son of a bitch foster parent doesn't want to deal with him all summer.Jason Voorhees, eleven years old, lives near a camp and his mother enrolls him because she wants him to have a 'normal' childhood.They share a cabin that has toads and frogs.
Relationships: Freddy Krueger & Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger/Jason Voorhees
Comments: 17
Kudos: 129





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kid Camp AU LET'S'A FUCKING G O  
> \------
> 
> Has been beta's by the wondeful Hashley! Thank you Levi for giving me inspiration to write these lads!

The car was old and stuffy; the heat of the summer afternoon wasn’t helping. Dust was pouring in from the open windows as the tires spun on the dry land. The radio was playing something that sounded like hard rock, but Freddy didn’t know and didn’t care. Despite the heat, he wore his long-sleeve shirt to hide the bruises of yesterday’s beating from prying eyes. 

His bags, well,  _bag,_ singular, was tucked by his side. The thing was bought from a thrift store, just as old and worn as the fabric on the seat of the old muscle car his foster father drove. Maybe this was it, maybe the old geezer was going to drive him far off for him to get lost, get the government foster funds for himself, and make excuses as to where he was. 

That was his initial thought when he was told to start packing. when he was told he’d be going to summer camp that was eight hours away, he was hesitant, but didn’t say anything as he put whatever clothes he had in his bag. Summer camp aside, there was no way he was leaving behind everything he owned. And when he really thought about it, it didn’t seem so bad. Being away from the man who’d beat him and the kids that would bully him would be a blessing. 

The arch of the camp was nearing, and he inched closer to the car door, ready to jump out when he had the chance. Underneath the arch that read  _Camp Crystal Lake_ were two grown-ups happily waving to them. Their smiles were too cheery, too accommodating, too  _fake_ . One of them approached the car when it stopped, and when it did, Freddy got out just as the woman stood beside the hood.

“Hi!” she exclaimed with an almost childlike demeanor.

_Ew._ Freddy thought. Her voice was too high for Freddy’s liking.

“You must be Fredrick!,” she turned to his foster dad when he climbed out but not closing his door, ready to get away as fast he can from his ward of the state, wearing a green plaid shirt and a baseball cap instead of his usual dirty tank top ( he had to seem like the perfect parent, after all), “And you must be Mr. Underwood!”, she held out her hand for him to shake, which he did rather firmly. “Nice to meet both of you, I’m Senior Counselor Angela and I’ll be watching over Fredrick during camp!” she retracted her hand, “Let me show both of you around. There are a lot of things to see here, and we like to give a tour before the kids get settled.”

“Uh, sorry miss, but I better be going.” Underwood said hastily, tipping his cap back a bit.

“O-oh, but don’t you want to see where your son will be staying?” She asked, her brows furrowing, but her smile stayed plastered on her face.

Freddy bristled at the word “son” and it took a lot for Mr. Underwood to contradict her.

Patting the roof of the car and smiling back awkwardly, he said, “Nah, you guys seem legit and I wanna teach my… my son some independence, y’know?” 

Before Angela can say anything else, Underwood got in the car and drove off, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

Freddy watched as the car got smaller and smaller, and couldn’t help but wish that it would get run over by a big truck so he’d never have to see the man again.

A clap brought his mind back to Angela, smiling down at him in this unsettling too wide way, showing him all her pearly, straight white teeth. She had this crazy look in her eyes that he wouldn’t describe as manic, but rather, empty. Almost like his eyes; he’d overheard adults, mostly teachers, talk about how his eyes looked. 

She was talking, and Freddy heard her, but he wasn’t really listening to her. He was following silently as she started walking through the camp, pointing at activity spaces, introducing him to other counselors that walked by. It wasn’t until they made it to the cabin at the very end, near the edge of the woods, that he came back from the clouds. 

“-and this is the cabin you’ll be staying at Fredrick, so if you have any questions-”

“Freddy.”

She jumped at the sound of his voice. he’d been silent during everything that she thought that he was the quiet type. Huh, oh well.

“Ok, Freddy then, like I was saying before, if you have any questions feel free to ask me or the other counselors!” she said as she opened the door for him so he could walk in and see it for himself.

It felt emptier than it looked, having four beds and four side tables… and someone else who sat on the bed furthest from the door, who had their back toward them.

“Oh! Before I forget, that’s Jason. He’ll be your cabin buddy for the entire season,” she whispered to him, “I’m guessing they haven’t told you, but there were an uneven number of kids enrolled this summer so we were scared that Jason was going to be by himself… luckily, your late enrollment came along!” 

She walked through the aisle, making her way to Jason.

Freddy put his bag down carelessly, letting it fall on the floor, making a big  _thud_ as it landed, causing the kid- causing  _Jason-_ to flinch. When he looked over, a pair of uneven eyes met his.

Angela was talking, but it seemed as if both of them had tuned her out, too invested in their impromptu staring contest. There was something wrong with Jason, too. His flaws were more physical than Freddy’s, something people will immediately notice. 

His head was big. 

He saw Jason face Angela, trying to listen to what she was telling him.

All Freddy managed to gather was the word “ _accountabili-buddy”_

What the fuck was an “ _accountabili-buddy”_ _?_

Whatever that was, Angela seemed pleased with herself, showing herself out and reminding them that dinner would be ready by six-thirty.

Freddy watched her leave, then turned back to watch Jason, who, by now, returned to sitting with his back to him. He could see the other boy’s arms move, as if he was petting something gently.

Curious, Freddy made his way to the furthest bed, peeking behind Jason’s shoulder to see what he was holding. 

_Ribbit_

_That_ made Freddy jump.

In Jason’s hands was the biggest toad Freddy had ever seen.

* * *

Dinner was loud. Too many kids and adults moving around, it felt like he was back in the cafeteria in school. There were different cliques and people trying to fit into each one or trying to find a vacant spot to sit, yeah, this was a lot like what it was in school.

You have the older kids grouping together with younger ones trying to be part of their group, blondes and brunettes giggling and whispering, if one could call it whispering, to each other about the cute boy or new fashion trend or whatever. Jocks hitting on the female counselors, male counselors eyeing the younger teens or talking about the camp and summer jobs. 

If Freddy was given a choice he would have eaten his meal outside or in one of the bathroom stalls, sad yes but it was better than being around so much energy. But he wasn’t allowed out the mess hall, the counselor that caught him, who looked like he was better off in a cheesy sport’s magazine, told him that it was for safety. More or less anyway, Freddy felt like it was just so they wouldn’t have a liability on their hands.

After weaving through the crowd of chatty tweens and young teens, bumping shoulders and getting glared at when he neared a table, he finally spotted one table at the very back, right by the table some of the counselors were at, seated was only one person and that happened to be… his  _accountabili-buddy_ . 

God, that was such a stupid word, whoever brought that up to the meeting was an idiot. Better yet, whoever  _approved_ of the word was an even bigger idiot.

With no other choice, he made a bee-line for the table and quietly placed his tray on it, sliding into the bench with some ease. Jason didn’t seem to notice him yet, scooping up the peas with a spoon and putting it inside a plastic bag. Freddy ate his mashed potatoes, watching what Jason had been doing until he ran out of peas. The kid was weird and ugly looking if he had to be honest, but he kept to himself and that was something Freddy was okay with. 

He might have accidentally slammed his glass a little too hard after taking a drink, not used to the table’s height, making Jason flinch, almost dropping his bag of peas. Bright green eyes met his before they snapped back to the tray before them, pale cheeks turning a light pink with embarrassment.

He would have apologized but he didn’t, instead pointing to the bag and saying, “What’s that for? Your toads?”. Can toads even eat peas? Didn’t they eat bugs and stuff? Thinking that the bald kid didn’t hear him, he opened his mouth to ask again but Jason shook his head, his lips forming a thin line. 

“D-ducks.”

The response was so quiet, it took Freddy to realize that he wasn’t hallucinating. This was the first time he’d heard Jason speak. From their time inside the cabin, neither boy wanted to go out so they were stuck inside until they were called for dinner. And in that time, Freddy became well acquainted with the bed and the sounds of amphibians ribbiting around, counting maybe five or six of them. He even saw a really small one jump, probably even the tiniest of the bunch, on Jason’s head, that was pretty funny. If he’d been alone, those things would have been dead already, one had jumped right on his lap while he was laying down. He’d pull out his switch blade, ready to dissect the slimy animal when a hand grabbed his wrist and squeezed it hard enough that it hurt. Jason had seen him and his knife and stopped him from doing anything to the creature. 

He got the message quickly. The toads weren’t to be messed with.

“You’re keeping that for the  _ducks_ ?”. It seemed like a waste to spare good food on wild animals, back in Springwood with his foster parent he’d finish whatever meal he’d gotten that day or spend the rest of the week starving. It was against better judgement to be picky.

Jason nodded, albeit it took a while, like the kid was a bit slow in taking up information. Freddy can work with that, maybe he'd have someone finally listen to him without reacting too fast. 

They went back to their respective meals in silence. It was then that Freddy registered that the loud chatter of the mess hall simmered down to quiet whispers as the kids watched them. 

His ears wiggled as he strained to listen to what they were saying.

_Freak._

_Look at his bald head._

_God, I feel bad for the new kid._

_I know him. Heard he was a son of crazy people._

_A couple of freaks._

He could feel his blood boiling, this was  _exactly_ like school. How would they even know about him? Did the counselors talk about him? What kind of counselor spreads rumors about a kid they’ve barely even met? .He looked back at Jason, seeing the boy looking like he was in the verge of tears, he must’ve heard them too. For some reason that sparked something in Freddy, something odd and loud, like sirens and fireworks going off. Gripping his tray, he raised it above his head and slammed it on the table hard, his fingers taking most of the force. He was sure they’d bruise later.

No one dared talk as Freddy stood up. 

“Come on. We’re done with dinner, let’s leave.”, he told Jason, motioning to the door with a tilt of his head. 

Jason nodded, even he was shocked at what happened. He grabbed his bag of peas and ran after Freddy, not wanting to be there all alone with so many eyes on him. Angela told the other counselor’s that she’d make sure they’d get back to their cabin safely, rushing off before they got too far.

She was happy that the  _accountabili-buddy_ idea seemed to be working.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red was better but baby blue was okay too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long update! This one is a little bit shorter than the first chapter and currently un-beta'd
> 
> Edit/ July 5: BETA'D BY ARACHNIDA AND HASHLEY!! THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH!!!
> 
> I swear I'll update as soon as I can!

The next day wasn’t any better. Freddy had trained himself to be a light sleeper, and the sound of the morning horn blasting not only woke him up, but made him jump to his feet before he could even realize he was awake. The tiniest toad-whom they dubbed Tiny Toad Tim- jumping on his face made him fall back on his mattress.

While he was calming down from his mini heart attack, Jason covered his ears and curled in on himself, obviously affected by the horns. He was about to scream out of frustration, but was stopped by the cabin door suddenly bursting open by what Freddy assumed was a swift kick by none other than Angela.

Of  _fucking_ course it was Angela.

“Good morning campers!” 

The redhead  was contemplating  if this was worth not having to sleep in a cold, damp basement while he was being dragged outside without even having  eaten anything .  The sun was barely even up ; judging by the lavender sky , it might have been only six in the morning. 

“Wash up and get dressed, because after breakfast we’re going on a morning hike!” Freddy wanted to cut her cheery face off her skull. “So hurry up or y’all won’t be able to get your bacon and waffles!”

Okay, so maybe this was better than living under Underwood’s roof. The only upgrades were the food and the beds. He wasn’t sure about having a cabin-mate though, that could go either way.

Thankfully Angela left. It gave them some semblance of privacy as Freddy went t o the cabin’s bathroom, leaving Jason to tend to his toads before the other boy followed suit, taking the shower one stall away from him.

* * *

Fredrick Charles Krueger, at the tender age of twelve, came to the conclusion that anyone who decided that hiking was a leisure activity was sadistic. Not only was he  sweating,  but he was freezing at the same time as the seven am sun beat down on them  while they walked  up  a steep hill.

He hated camp. 

Hated the bastard counselors laughing with the other kids, cracking jokes and singing parts of a song. He hated the dumb kids who seemed like they were having the time of their life, chasing each other or racing up  to  the top. He hated the fact that the only one willing to walk  alongside him was his assigned buddy. Maybe it was the knowledge that Jason didn’t have a ny choice  except to be beside him, or maybe it was because they were both getting sneered and gawked at by the people in the front.

He wanted them to trip and roll to the bottom, for them to break their neck or get stabbed by a tree. He wanted them to fall in a pit or get lost and never be found. He wanted all of them gone and dead.

He wanted to wipe off all  their fun little smiles from their faces and gouge out their eyes.

The tug on his sleeve pulled him out of his thoughts. Jason was looking at him with fear in his eyes, or maybe it was worry. Who knew, for some reason he couldn’t read what the disfigured boy was thinking and that pissed him off even more.

“What?” he hissed, taking note of how Jason didn’t flinch at all.

The bald boy’s lips formed a thin line, before he got down on one knee and reached for Freddy’s shoes. It was only then that he realized one of his laces had gone loose and Jason was now tying it for him.

Somehow that… that made him a little less mad and a little less hateful. And when Jason stood up and gave him a bright smile, well that just made him feel  _weird,_ but not in way that he was used to. This feeling was nice. Like when one of the child services employees gave him a cup of hot chocolate when it was snowing out and he’d just been pulled out of another bad house.

Yeah. Like that.

The redhead thanked the taller boy .When they looked back, they found the group had moved way ahead of them. Freddy grabbed Jason’s wrist and and they both rus hed to catch up. No way in hell is Freddy going to let himself be left behind , and no way is he going to get in trouble for leaving Jason behind.

* * *

He was sweaty and his knees ached , and all he wanted to do was lay down , but nope. They still had one more activity to do before  they were allowed to have some  free time, and that was arts and crafts. That wasn’t bad, but they wouldn’t let him handle the sharp scissors. That wouldn’t really bother him, except he was the only one aside from Jason that wasn’t allowed to use the good scissors.

They were  supposed to make something they could display in the rec hall that they could take home after the season was over. Some took a handful of macaroni and glue, others glitter and craft paper, and since Freddy figured  he’d throw his out when camp was  done,  he’d just make a basic collage. Taking old magazines and a big roll of poster  paper, he began cutting. 

He took  pictures of people and animals from whatever article he can find and cutting off their limbs, drawing crosses on their eyes or lines on their mouths to look like they were sewn shut. He used red poster paint and black markers to add in the little details.

His collage was coming together  nicely, he thought, looking at it with a dark smile, up until it was yanked away by a senior counselor.

“Jesus, kid. We want to hang this up in the rec hall, not sell it to a demented  psycho.” the  old man said with disgust as his eyes looked over the piece. Freddy noticed how the man paled and kept a nice distance from him when he realized  that Freddy was still holding the scissors. Dull, safety  ones, but they were still scissors.

Seeing the balding man crumple his work made his blood boil. This wasn’t any different from the teachers back in Springwood. Always out to destroy any sort of creativity  _they_ deemed unfit or strange. He wanted to stab the man in  the eyes. He was running out of red paint, after all.

“Make something else. Something  _nice.”_ With that the counselor walked  away, giving the boy a sneer.

He pierced the folding table with his safety scissors and let them go. They were lodged deep enough that they stood by themselves.  With a huff , he turned to look at what his camp buddy was doing, watching him play with the different colored popsicle sticks and Elmer’s glue. 

Jason had been stacking the sticks together in some sort of rhythm that was hypnotizing to watch.

With nothing else to do, mostly out to spite , he crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on  it. He would take a nap but he might get in trouble for that and just watch Jason work.

When the bald kid was done, Freddy saw that he made a small box. Nothing big or fancy, just a plain little multi-colored box. He blinked when a paint brush was handed to him, Jason looking at him with that unreadable expression again, a bottle of blue paint on his other hand.

“Saw them take yours away…wanna share?” His voice was soft but not timid, maybe he was just generally a quiet kid who didn’t have many friends?Which was a shame really, because Freddy thought that if they were both different than they were now, the kind of different where people actually liked them, he didn’t think they’d get along this well .

Like, their entire acquaintanceship was built due to the fact that no one liked them. No one in the campgrounds, except maybe Angela , but she didn’t count. It was her job to be jovial with them. 

It made him think, did Jason’s parents dump him here for the same reason Underwood dropped him off here? Were they as mean as Underwood , or were they kinder? Were they h oping that their kid would end up getting more friends than if they didn’t? Both ideas were cruel.  Imagine not having enough faith in your kid to make their own friends that you had to force them into a situation that was designed to be hard on them?

Freddy gingerly took the paint brush. 

He personally preferred red but baby blue was alright, he decided.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are we friends?”
> 
> “Yeah, of course, we are Jason.”
> 
> Jason couldn't swim.
> 
> But Freddy can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long to update, BUT I did try to make it longer...as a treat because the next chapter's probably gonna be the end of this story. I hope you all enjoy it!

Days passed by, not many exciting things happened. The other kids were still assholes; the camp counselors were still irresponsible; not even Angela was a perfect guide. The only good thing in this place was Jason’s presence. When the others were mean, and Freddy wanted to punch them, Jason would grab his arm and gently pull him away, and then they’d just hang around the woods, far from the camp. When Freddy was angry, Jason grounded him. And when he almost got decked during a verbal fight with the older kids, Jason grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him away.

It wasn’t to say that Freddy was the only one getting something from the relationship, whatever that relationship might be. No one dared talked or bully Jason in front of the redheaded kid. If he even heard a single insult targeted at the disfigured boy, they would find their things floating in the lake or stripped apart. Of course, they all knew it was Krueger. Still, without any hard evidence, the most that happened to him was an interrogation and nothing more.

The relationship was symbiotic, at least, and friendly at most. 

In fact, out of everybody that Freddy had met in his short life, Jason was probably the only one he genuinely tolerated, if he was honest.

The once soft-spoken, shy boy had grown fond of his camp buddy, opening up more. He was showing Freddy his collection of neat rocks or crisp-looking leaves. He taught him how to handle the toads, dragging him to unique secluded spots in the woods where they would hang out often enough that their disappearance made little difference to the counselors, the adults practically forgot that they had enrolled in the camp. 

It was like in one of Jason’s books, the few that he had brought, one where two kids would hang out in a made-up place where they could forget about school or problematic adults in their lives. Jason didn’t like the ending, saying it had made him cry when he’d first read it. Freddy didn’t read very much, but he started to, and he found himself liking it. 

In their little spot in the woods, where thick, old trees encircled a small swimming hole where small fishes and amphibians roamed around. There were rusty nails on some of the trees and rotting wooden boards by the roots, Freddy guessed that the camp owners were trying to expand the campgrounds but ended up not to. For that, the two boys were grateful. Jason had found it by accident while he was hiding from the bullies and eventually pulled Freddy into it. 

It was their paradise on earth, their very own Terabithia, Jason said. He gave Freddy that wide smile he’d never see whenever they were with the others. Somehow that made Freddy feel like someone was finally seeing him. It was as if his existence was acknowledged more deeply, a way he couldn’t explain, and that was something he wanted the more time he spent with the bald kid. 

In this small space in the woods, away from everybody else, apart from careless grown-ups and mean kids and even meaner teenagers, he existed. 

And so did Jason.

Jason, who had the hardest time making friends and speaking to authority figures, who was almost as big as the teenagers and could probably beat anyone up if he wanted to, but didn’t. Jason, the gentle giant who cared about toads and ducks and sharing what he can with Freddy. He existed in Freddy’s life as Freddy existed in his, and it wasn’t an easy thing to explain.

It was the kind of acknowledgment where you wanted the other person to be always happy and get what they dreamed of. A form of recognition where you believe, in your heart’s deepest crevices, deserve good things. One where, when you see them, you feel a flutter in your chest and warmth glow in your gut as your legs tremble and feel like jelly, but it makes you want to holler and whoop at the same time.

Was this friendship? Was this what’s it like to know and trust someone by your side? 

A few weeks from now, summer will be over, and they’d go their separate ways and thinking about that made Freddy fee terrible. It was an ache in his chest that made it hard to breathe, and he knew that this was what missing someone would be like, despite that someone still being in his life.

Unbeknownst to Freddy, Jason was feeling the same way.

-

There had been a sudden downpour which kept the campers inside the rec hall. Rain in the summer was rare, but the fact that no one, not even the senior counselors, heard about it made the weather feel eerie. It would be dangerous for campers to stay in their cabins. The loose soil around the smaller buildings might become a liability for the camp to deal with, so the adults had decided to cram over fifty pre-teens inside a rec hall. At the same time, the teenagers were hauled off into the mess hall, something Freddy and Jason were happy with, not wanting to deal with horny teenagers in their vicinity.

A counselor managed to find a film projector left from the last camp season and some old horror movies. If they couldn’t tell stories in front of a roaring fire, an old, black and white zombie film will have to do. All the kids were huddling together in groups, pushing each other’s sleeping bag near one another. A few placing blankets on top of them to make some sort of “futon” thing or whatever they were. Some called dibs on the bleachers, knowing it’d give them a better view of the show. 

Freddy and Jason, on the other hand, laid their sleeping bags on the farthest side of the hall, away from the other kids and the adults, right below the window. They weren’t interested in the movie, and they’d instead let Jason’s toads out of the hall through the window and watch them hop around in the mud. The rain’s pitter-patter and the smell of wet soil felt cozy to both boys.

Hearing the crackle of lightning and the boom of thunder following it made the other campers scream, turning to see what was happening and seeing how it was already the climax of the movie. With another crackle and boom, the power went out, leaving them all in darkness. Freddy can hear the younger kids start crying while some were just howling along, making fun of the fear the others were experiencing.

A cold, clammy hand met his. He didn’t hesitate to return the hold; he knew Jason didn’t care about the dark or the thunder; he loved both those things. Jason enjoyed nature and the security the darkness gave him. What made him uncomfortable was the unbearable chaotic energy around the room. It was disorienting him, and Freddy knew it because the hand he held was shaking. 

Freddy huddled closer to Jason, firmly holding his hand, trying to ground him until the situation quieted down. While the rain poured hard, the noise in the room simmered down as the counselor in charge of them managed to talk them into relaxing a bit, reminding them that it was past their bedtime. To get the kids to calm down fully, one of the adults offered to leave a flashlight on in case anything happened, and that got everyone to settle in. No one would admit to needing a night light, but with the pseudo-storm outside, no one was going to complain.

-

It must have been past midnight now. The harsh rain was devolving into a soothing drizzle. Freddy laid awake, staring at the ceiling with his hands folded on his stomach, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. His mind drifted off to Jason.

Two weeks into camp, and it’s only ever been them against everyone else. Freddy grew up with kids bullying him for existing, for having been a bastard son of maniacs, had he grown up ordinary like other kids and found someone like that, he’d probably pick on them, too. But Jason? He didn’t understand why the others bullied him. Well, he did. The other kid looked funny, one of the weirdest looking kids Freddy had ever seen, and he’d seen a lot of funny-looking kids. 

But Jason didn’t deserve to be treated like that. To be treated like some side-show freak when he was just shy. The bald boy was kind to Freddy despite not having a reason to be. He shared his toads, books, and when a camper “accidentally” threw a mudpie at the redhead, Jason shared a spare uniform he had since Freddy only had one. 

It was sad to say, but he felt like Jason was one of the few people on the earth that were still good. And that was something Freddy felt like he needed to protect. 

He turned to face the bald kid only to find Jason doing the same. Light blue met bright green as their eyes met.

“Freddy?” Jason whispered, always so softly, like Freddy’s name was a secret only he kept. 

“Yeah?” Freddy answered, suddenly feeling as if he was breathless, heart beating like a violent drum, and his gut buzzing so much that he felt like he ate a million moths. The cold air wafting through the barely opened windows did nothing to calm him down. He felt his hands sweat and shake, curling them into fists; this felt like fear but _different—a_ right kind of different.

“Are we friends?” The sincere curiosity in Jason’s voice made Freddy’s heart stop. He felt like he was floating and falling at the same time as he screamed to the world while burning in the inside. None of it felt terrible, no, it made him feel giddy.

“Yeah, of course, we are Jason.” 

The answer made Jason give him a soft, almost bashful smile. In fourteen days and thirteen nights, they were friends. 

Neither knew who fell asleep first, but that was alright. That night, for the first time in what seemed like forever, Freddy dreamed.

He dreamed of a giant tree with a house built on the top of it, a tire swing hanging from one of the branches. There was Jason, from the treehouse window, waving at him, yelling for him to hurry and come hang out with him. 

They were running around in the grasslands, playing tag, talking about pets and hobbies. Jason trying to teach the smaller kid how to climb trees and when they got to the very top, higher than the roof of the treehouse, they just sat there, admiring the sunset.

Freddy wished that life was like this.

-

Three days after the rain, someone had spray painted the counselors’ office and trashed the place. Someone had decided to use Freddy as a scapegoat, choosing to hide the spray paint in his bag. Along with a few other items that the counselors found missing from their offices, such as files and account books.

The senior counselor was so furious that he dragged Freddy across camp by the collar of his shirt, all the way to the police car that had been waiting by the campground’s entrance.

“This is him, officer,” Freddy was pushed hard in front of the police, almost losing his footing, “This is the bastard punk that destroyed our office and stole our files.” The counselor jabbed his pointer finger at Freddy, unconcerned of the shocked expression on the kid’s face.

The old man was so convinced that a twelve-year-old boy was able to vandalize an entire office and manage to knock down its file cabinets and flip over heavy wooden desks, despite looking like the very wind can knock him over,. Luckily, the cop didn’t believe it. He told the counselor that they managed to find the real culprit while he was humiliating the poor boy in front of his peers.

Red in the face with anger and embarrassment, the senior counselor, dismissed Freddy without even a single apology. To say Freddy was pissed was an understatement. He was already planning a murder in his mind until he heard chanting and someone screaming. Curious, he jogged back to the lakeside to see what was happening, and what he saw made him hurt.

The few minutes he was gone, the other kids had already managed to crowd Jason, pushing him around and overwhelming him. One kid even shoving a pillowcase into his head, disorienting the poor boy even more. Without thinking, he ran for the group, ready to beat whoever he can, not caring who he hit as long as it wasn’t his friend.

They were so far from him, and his legs couldn’t take him there fast enough as they chased Jason to the docks, the way his friend was crying for someone to help him broke his heart. What happened next made it stop.

He didn’t know who or why but someone had pushed Jason into the lake.

_Jason can’t swim._

He knew this. He’d been told this in confidence by the boy himself, telling him that was why his mom had enrolled him in the first place, so he could learn. But they haven’t gotten to that lesson yet.

_Jason can’t swim._

Cruel laughter and offensive jokes filled his ears as he ran to the docks, none compared to the screams for help from the struggling boy in the water.

_Jason can’t swim._

He pushed the kids aside, taking a deep breath, and dove into the cold, unforgiving water of Camp Crystal Lake.

**_Jason couldn’t swim_ **

But Freddy can.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cold.
> 
> Unforgiving.
> 
> Overwhelming.
> 
> All those things, Freddy knew all too well. Be it from his peers or from the people who were supposed to care for him. None of it was new; every day was a day he would drown, and every night he would finally breathe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Here it is, the last chapter (or is it?) 
> 
> BIG THANKS TO MOLLY FROM CHRYSALIS SYSTEM WHO HELPED OUT WITH THE SELECTIVE MUTISM SCENE!
> 
> Check out these sites to learn more about child trauma:
> 
> https://www.nctsn.org/  
> http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/  
> https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/communitypartnerships/cvtc/

_ Cold. _

_ Unforgiving. _

_ Overwhelming. _

All those things, Freddy knew all too well. Be it from his peers or from the people who were supposed to care for him. None of it was new; every day was a day he would drown, and every night he would finally breathe. 

But the fear when he saw Jason struggle in the cold, dark waters of the lake felt all too real. 

The bubbles surrounding them from Jason's flailing made it hard to find him, harder to reach, but he managed to do so anyway. He'd never had experience with this sort of thing. When Jason suddenly tugged his arm, he pulled him deeper into the water. Freddy had a moment of panic, opening his mouth, trying to tell Jason he was there to help him, only for half the air of his lungs to escape.

Freddy had to pull himself away from the sinking boy lest they both die there, grabbing Jason's shirt instead and trying to grasp one of the dock's stands.

Everything felt slow and fast at the same time, the water making moving so  _hard._ The fear, the absolute terror of losing his life, of losing his only friend made things feel like they were moving too quickly.

Finally, feeling the rotting wood, softened by the water, he clung to it like a lifeline. Pulling Jason toward him, towards the dock before using the pole to shove them out of the lake's murky depths.

Air.

Fresh air. 

Right when their lungs burnt and filled with water, they were met with air, the lake clinging onto them as they both reached for the landing, as if it was clawing at them to come back down.

Freddy lifted himself first before grabbing Jason's wrists and pulling him up.

Tears and freshwater were mixing together on the bald kid's face, pale as a sheet but lips and the edges of his eyes blue with cold. His body shaking from fear or from the chill, no one can say for sure. But Freddy? He was shaking from anger.

Fist curling so tight that his knuckles turned white, uncut nails digging into palms hard enough to draw blood. Stepping forward, covering Jason's cowering body from the kids surrounding them, laughing and mocking them. None of them had any idea of what they went through under there, only seeing their potential death as a prank-a joke.

Jason couldn't swim. He could have died.

_cRACK_

The nearest kid found himself on the ground, completely shutting the crowd up—an angry, soaking redhead standing before him. Freddy wasn't a big kid by any means, but his stance and the blank look on his face made him seem more significant than he really was. He'd been so angry that his eyes were dead, but his body remained tense.

"Who did it." A question that sounded more like a statement escaped his lips. 

No one answered, some shrinking on the spot, some taking a step back ready to run if they needed to.

" _I SAID WHO FUCKING DID IT."_ Freddy's emotionless face was contorting into one of pure rage. "I'll _kill EACH and EVERYONE OF YOU, WHO DID IT"_ He stomped forward a step, ready to take everyone down. He didn't care what happens to him, he didn't care if he gets thrown back in the water and held under. What he cared about was Jason. 

Before he can take another step forward, another hit, cold hands grasped at his shirt, holding him back. Jason slumped behind him, hiding from everyone, looking at him with broken eyes. It was as if he was asking Freddy to stay, asking him to not leave him. 

He was scared. 

And Freddy was there. Someone who dove in to save him when everyone else pushed him down, and he didn't want Freddy to leave.

Gritting his teeth, Freddy wrapped his arm around Jason, firmly holding him as he pushed the other kids aside, making his way to their cabin. This wasn't over, someone was going to pay for what they did to his friend, and he was going to make sure they got punished.

* * *

Jason didn't talk anymore. 

He didn't smile as much either. All he ever did now was stay even further into the background, sometimes not interacting even with Freddy. It hurt.

It hurt seeing someone filled with so much good look like a ghost of who they used to be. Freddy did everything to make him feel better. He drew cards for the bald boy during recreational time, found more frogs and toads for their growing colony of amphibians. Hell, and even weaved him a small hat for Tiny Toad Tim.

But none of them seemed to bring the old Jason back, and it was scaring Freddy. It was like being abandoned again but different. He didn't like it, but he wasn't going to give up the only person who made an effort to befriend him. Jason just seemed so far away now, despite being in the same cabin as him. 

Angela found out what happened. But instead of taking them both home or doing anything reasonable, they just decided that they couldn't have another lawsuit on their hands. They basically said fuck it.

They let them do what they wanted as long as the kids didn't hang around the other campers anymore. That just translated to them staying inside the cabin until they wanted to go out or went to eat.

But Jason didn't like going out anymore either. 

Angela had to bring their food to them because Freddy sometimes didn't want to leave Jason alone, scared that the other boy would suddenly disappear. But other times, he had to. The freckled boy didn't like seeing Jason like that, and sometimes couldn't take it, so Freddy would go out. He'd go to their little secret spot in the woods and just… he'd just sit there until sunset. Doing nothing. 

He didn't want this anymore. He didn't want to be alone, he didn't want Jason being like that, he didn't like that his friend was feeling like that. He was tired of doing nothing. 

He went to the kitchen at the dead of night and found a dozen rotten eggs at the very back of a cupboard, cracking the spoils in front of the cabin doors. That wasn't enough for him, so he went into the storage house and rummaged through the boxes of contraband. He set firecrackers off during the night by the other kids' cabins, throwing some in the window for good measure. 

Screams and shrieks could be heard as he rushed behind some foliage to watch the outcome. Someone made it outside and slipped on the foul-smelling yolks, the other kids not stopping fast enough and tripped over each other. 

That was enough. For tonight anyway.

He booked it back to his and Jason's cabin, taking his shoes off and throwing them at the door. Quickly hiding under his covers, unaware that Jason had been awake when he came back.

Everyone knew it was him, but no one could ever prove it. If the counselors outed him, that would mean they'd have to admit never having gotten rid of the contraband or keeping track of their food stock. They weren't about to confess to that, they were too proud and stubborn to do so.

Freddy was let go. The whole debacle was chalked up with some of the teenagers being teenagers and wanting to prank the younger campers instead. 

He got his revenge. He got his closure, but Jason hadn't. 

* * *

The next night Freddy sat on the bed next to Jason's, the other kid had his back turned to him, probably sleeping. The redhead held two cups of pudding that he was able to sneak from the senior counselors' fridge.

"Jason?" he whispered. "Jason, wake up…" Nudging the bald boy gently with his knuckles, to which Jason reacted to. Sitting up slowly, rubbing tiredness off his eyes. He hasn't been able to sleep much lately; every time he tried, all he could see was water. Any time he did fall asleep, it didn't last long, him waking up drenched in sweat, clutching his blanket like a lifeline. Crying silently until the sun came up.

He looked at Freddy with a detached and confused look in his eyes. 

"Wanna go to Terabithia?" Freddy continued to whisper as if he was telling a secret that he feared the universe might hear. Before Jason can respond, Freddy held up the pudding cups. "We can eat these while we're there."

It was their last week of camp. Their last week together. Things needed to be said before it was too late, at least Freddy  _hoped_ it wasn't too late.

* * *

The trip was quiet, neither boys saying anything-one didn't really feel like he  _can_ say anything. As if the water not only took away his sleep, but so did his voice. 

When they made it there, they both made the conscious decision to sit far from the pond, content to just sit under the trees. 

Freddy handed Jason a cup and began to tear open his own, taking a wooden spoon from his pocket and dipping in. Before the spoon reached his mouth, he felt a tug on the hem of his shirt. Turning to look at Jason, confused as to what the other boy wanted.

Jason looked at him, looking distraught. His mouth gaping a few times, finding it hard to convey what he wanted to say. His eyes expressed a sense of helplessness when Jason realized how his voice wouldn't escape. He turned his view from his own cup to Freddy's spoon, hoping that he'd be able to understand.

"Oh… _Oh!_ " Freddy wanted to smack himself in the face when the realization hit him. Reaching back into his pocket to grab an extra spoon and handing it to Jason. 

"I'm… I'm sorry Jason, I forgot…" 

_No, no, he didn't._

Jason shrugged, opening his cup and shoving the pudding in his mouth, savoring the sweet taste.

_"It's_ not easy to say anything when you can't talk, huh?" 

That struck a chord with the younger boy. 

_No, no, it isn't._

He began eating quicker now, trying to push down that feeling in your throat, the one you get when you're trying to suppress a cry. But that didn't stop the tears from flowing from his face. The sight broke Freddy's heart, putting the pudding down and moving to hug Jason.

Jason dropped his cup, hugging Freddy back. He buried his head on his friend's shoulder and cried.

"Jason." Freddy didn't let go, "I know things are probably really bad right now, and I don't…I don't know how bad it really is for you right now, but I want you to know that I'm here for you _._ " He paused. " _Always."_

The tears didn't stop, but the bald boy pulled back a bit to meet the redhead's eyes, seeing his eyes bright with unshed tears of his own. 

"Things might seem different now, and I'm worried about you. I'm worried that I'm losing my best friend." _My only friend._ "And everything feels complicated and… and… I miss you…" Freddy's sight blurred, finally letting his own tears flow freely as he moved to give more space between them, arms moving from Jason's back to his hands, not wanting to let go.

Jason wanted to say something. Anything. He wanted to apologize, he tried to tell Freddy that he missed him too, Jason wanted to say how much their friendship meant to him but he  _can't._ He doesn't feel ready for that kind of reach yet, his body physically forcing his voice down.

"I know I'm not a good kid, a lot of people seem to think so. I wish I was better, and if I had, then you wouldn't have been…" He trailed off, not ready to talk about the incident itself. "I want you to be okay…" his voice is softer now, vulnerable.

They let go of each other. Jason can see that Freddy struggled to talk just as much as he is but in a different way. His mind going back to that rainy night in the recreation hall.

_"Freddy?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Are we friends?"_

_"Yeah, of course, we are Jason."_

They were friends. 

Freddy sniffled, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand. "Sorry, I'm not really good at this kind of thing, but I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere. And if you can't ever talk again, then we'll figure something out! We can learn sign language or-or write letters. We can even make up our own secret language!" He smiled brightly at the younger boy.

"You and me? We're friends, and I'm gonna be by your side no matter what." Sincerity was not Freddy's forte, but it spilled out of him like a broken faucet. "You don't have to force yourself to talk to me, only if you're ready. And when you are, I'm here."

_We don't have to be alone anymore._

* * *

The last day of camp. Their last day together before they go back to living the way they did, but it would feel different at the same time. 

Their last camp activity was making friendship bracelets, easy enough. Since it was their last day, Angela practically begged them to come and join, offering them their own spot away from the others.

Freddy held Jason's hand as they entered the hall, not caring if anyone made fun of them. This is gonna be the last time they see each other in person for a while, they're going to make the best of, and the others can fuck off.

Grabbing six pieces of string, two blue, two green, and two brown, Freddy sat across Jason, a bit of cardboard held up between them. Someone had the idea to keep the bracelets a secret from their buddies (probably Angela), so they can express themselves freely.

He had a hard time at first but found the braiding to be relaxing. Putting a small square trinket with the letter J in the middle of it and deciding last minute to add a letter F beside it before tying the end. 

_J & F_

It wasn't the best looking bracelet, but Freddy was proud. 

"Okay, kids! When you're both done, you can put the barrier down and give the bracelets to your partner!" Angela bellowed into the mic.

One look and a nod from Jason, Freddy knew they were both done.

Freddy was the last to be picked up, Underwood waiting until the last second to drive down to the camp, which was already empty of both the kids and the adults. 

The car ride back was as pleasant as the car ride there; musty smells and loud rock music.

Freddy unconsciously reached for his left wrist, he smiled warmly. He and Jason planned on writing letters to each other and hopefully meet each other again soon.  _They didn’t have to be alone anymore_ , he thought while thumbing the braided red, orange, and yellow bracelet tied to it.

_F & J_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so Jason and Freddy probably are developing cptsd in their lives in this kid au (Jason for the bullying and Freddy from...well its obvious) and I wanted this fic to show the different outcomes of it. 
> 
> Where Jason was a quiet victim of it and Freddy lashes out against trauma. Together they don't destroy their trauma but rather find solidarity with each other which helps them learn how to deal with their respective traumas better. I might make this a series where they keep finding each other, not as them becoming co-dependent to grow but rather them supporting each other's progress


End file.
